I sent an e-mail to Humax (twice) as to when the next software update for the PVR-9200T hard drive recorder was. As yet I have had no reply.

The box failed to turn on from standby a couple of times, and I had to press the power-on button a few times, then wait to see what happened. It did start-up, and at the moment it seems OK. I'm worried this is going to be a repeat of a problem I had with past DigiFusion boxes. I am plodding on hoping for contented times.

I have only had the Humax PVR-9200T hard drive recorder for less than a week, but I am very happy so far. I just to say that I have had 3 DigiFusion FVRT-100's, an FVRT-200 and a Sagem PVR6200. All had faults within one to four months. I bought all of them from Currys and found the staff very helpful and prompt in replacing each faulty machine. I am hopeful for the Humax, which I paid more money for on top of the refund. Here's hoping...

I have lived with the Humax PVR-9200T hard drive recorder now for 2 months, and overall I am delighted with it. Initial set up involves, basically, just switching it on; it gets the time and available channels without any further intervention. The tuners hang on to signals where my Bush, Goodmans and Panasonic digi boxes won't, and the picture and sound quality are excellent (via my 32 inch Sony TV). The ability to pause 'live' TV has proved very useful; not being able to start watching a programme which is being recorded until the recording has finished has proved an issue in practice.

Problems start however, when you want to download files from the Hummy to burn to DVD. First is the speed of the USB connection, said to be USB2. I doubt it is much faster than USB1, and with 3Gb files for a 90 minute recording, expect to wait some time for the file to transfer.

Next, the downloaded file is .ts - which needs conversion to say .mpeg to be useful. Humax don't provide the software. I'm using DVR-Studio which is easy to use, costs about 50 Euros and can be downloaded from www.haenlein-software.de - be sure to click on the British flag! I am loading the converted files into Adobe Premiere Elements for editing or burning to DVD, or into Nero just for burning.

For a (very!) full discussion of the 'file conversion/DVD burning' issue see the user forums at www.hummy.org.uk - note that the problem is common to all hard drive recorders (as I understand it) and is not a Humax specific issue.

We had a DigiFusion FVRT100 hard drive recorder for just over a year until it gave up the ghost, then we looked at the Humax PVR-9200T. It's got a great size HDD, but I wonder if you'll be able to fill it, because we had 8 programs 'taped' to watch, then the screen froze, so I turned it off and left it for a few minutes. On turning it back on I went to the recorded list and found it had wiped everything off. This was after two weeks of owning it. It didn't work properly after that, so back it went for a refund. Having said that, it is user friendly, but the uncertainty of recorded programmes and the sudden freeze frame antics don't fill me with gadget heaven.

We bought the Humax PVR-9200T hard drive recorder expecting it to be great, as I had read many reviews first. OK, so it may be a good machine for some, but we found it to be a pain in the neck. We bought our first set on the 19th of February. We set it up, checked out its programming facilities, and decided to record 2 programmes simultaneously. That's where the problems started. Only one programme recorded with sound, and when we fast forwarded through a programme, the hard drive crashed. We returned the unit back to Currys, and exchanged it for another model thinking we had just got a duff one! No, we hadn't; the second unit also only recorded one of 2 programmes with sound. We then lost faith and returned the unit.

Does anyone know what might have been the problem because Currys definitely didn't. Our verdict is 4/10.

I purchased the Humax PVR-9200T hard drive recorder as an upgrade from a Pace Twin PVR. The Pace Twin is an earlier generation PVR, with smaller disk, but generally works well. So my expectation for the Humax may have been too high. I was looking for a larger hard disk, Timeshift play, twin tuners and the ability to transfer recordings to a PC.

The machine does look good, and it is easy to set up. Its remote is not all that well laid out. The overall user interface just does not seem all that consistent or easy to use. For example there is a key to list the recordings, but there is no way to delete old recordings from that list (you need to work through the main menu back to the recording list, and then view the recording details to be able to delete it). These types of details are minor, but can be annoying.

The machine lets itself down with its Timeshift play. I had assumed that any PVR would be able to record a programme and allow it to be watched at the same time (chase play) - invaluable for watching a film which starts at 9pm, but you are not around until 9:15pm. With the Humax this just is not allowed. The other major problem with its Timeshift is if Live Pause is used to watch a programme some minutes after its been broadcast - the programme is lost if a scheduled recording starts, which makes the feature too unreliable.

The other main disappointment for me was the PC connectivity. I've failed to get any programmes transferred off the machine - it just reports timeout errors after several hours of trying to transfer the data.

I'm worried that this review paints the machine all bad. I guess it does have some problems, which I expect might be able to be solved in future release of the firmware. So far I've not been successful in getting any details from Humax on if or when they might provide software updates for these issues.

I bought a Humax PVR-9200T hard drive recorder when my old ITV digital started to pack up in early December. I made an impulse purchase of another PVR when in a store, and I was surprised at what was now available, but the other manufacturers kit let me down from the start - freezing up on a number of occasions and proving to be generally unreliable.

So I got my money back and plumped for the Humax, based on a previous review here, and from their web site, which stated that their receiver was exceptionally good at, well, receiving.

I had been worried that as the old ITV digital box had always been a bit flaky, and the newer box turned out the same, and even though within viewing distance of the Crystal Palace transmitter, my reception was somehow poor.

This Humax PVR has been a dream to use from the start. Not once has it had any of the glitches I had come to expect from Freeview. The picture is great, and recording is a breeze.

As mentioned by other reviewers, some of the frequently used buttons on the remote are under a sliding compartment. I imagine the manufacturer thought it would look too scary if all the options were displayed.

But what this PVR does is superb. I managed to get mine home not long before heading away on my Christmas holiday for a week, so it had a good test of the long term EPG based recordings. So far they all seem to have worked a treat, and it was great to be able to go away and set a box to capture around ten classic movies, comedies and specials.

The build quality of the machine, and particularly the remote, is high! The remote being solid enough to withstand the toils of life in a home with younger kids. It is solid enough to be useful when fending off a burglar. The remote also gives solid clicks for feedback, and the box responds quickly.

The Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) takes a few minutes to upload and be processed by the machine each time it's switched on from standby. You can see more of it appearing with repeated presses a minutes or two after switch-on, but then it is uploading 7 days worth each time.

The picture in picture feature is fun, and it works as either a small picture within full-screen of another channel, or two equal size side-by-side pictures, and one specific button swaps them over - very clever. This might be useful when watching something while waiting for another show to start on another channel, without having to switch back and forth, or for scouring news channels for the latest on a breaking story.

Other useful features are instant replay that can be changed in the length of time it goes back in preferences. Jump forward that is programmable also, and a neat way of rushing through the ads.

There are so many features here, that I honestly haven't tried them all out yet, but what I have tried works great. The well designed software that interacts with the machine is just the icing on the cake.

I'd never heard of Humax before, but I'm already a signed-up fan if this box is anything to go by.

The Humax PVR-9200T Hard Drive Recorder is a great piece of kit, and one that I can recommend to anyone who likes to regularly time shift their TV viewing.

The twin Freeview tuners give a great picture with no sign of blocks appearing, which I have had on occasion previously with my old Pace box. Having twin tuners, I just set the TV onto the AV channel, and hardly ever need to touch the TV remote again all evening. You never need to manually switch between the tuners, the Humax takes care of all that for you.
Fast forward and back go at x2, x4, x32 and x64, but there's no way to jump straight to the start or end of programmes. Although, you can place bookmarks into recordings and jump to them, but you can't bookmark chase play unfortunately.

It's very easy to use. To schedule a recording just press guide, enter the channel number, move to the programme and press OK. The EPG goes a week into the future, but it needs a few minutes to load from being switched on.

The Humax is always ready to chase play, as it records the programme you're watching all the time, so if the phone rings or you need to get dinner ready, just press play when you get back and rewind to where you left off.
There's no way to chase play a programme that is set to be recorded however, which is a bit of a disappointment. So if you set up a recording because you know you'll be in late for example, you'll have to wait for it to finish before you can watch any of it.

Setting a recording from the EPG doesn't allow any padding either end, so you're bound to miss bits (knowing our broadcasters who can't tell the time)! It only takes a moment to do this manually. Set the programme to record from the EPG, then press the yellow button to enter the scheduled programme list, press OK then select edit. Adding 5 minutes to the front of the recording however, will change it's name to the recording that is on before your recording, which is a bit confusing when you review your recording list, but is better than missing some of your programme. Hopefully Humax will fix this problem in a software update.

My last niggle is that the quick jump forward and back (both of which are customizable), the recording list button, and slow mode, are all under the sliding flap, when the 4 buttons surrounding the central OK button serve no purpose when watching a recording.

Rereading the above, it seems I have a whole list of complaints. These are just small details I'd like to see implemented. I can wholeheartedly recommend this recorder to even the most techno phobic of viewers, and if a future software update fixes some of my minor quibbles, I'd upgrade my verdict from a nine and a half to a ten.

Out of the box to set-up and working took just a few minutes, with no problems. Sensitivity of the Humax PVR-9200T compares favourably with my old Goodmans GDB4.

Selecting recordings could not be simpler. In the Electronic Program Guide (EPG), use arrow keys to select programme then click OK.

Unfortunately, the current firmware records for exactly the programme's scheduled time. As broadcasters seem incapable of keeping to their schedules you risk missing the end of the programme.

End time can be extended manually but this rather defeats the object.

I suspect this problem will be fixed in a future firmware update. Humax customer support is reputedly good at releasing firmware upgrades. There is already one available which I installed, without difficulty, before using my Humax for the first time.

Another current problem is lack of proper chase play - the ability to start watching a recording before it has finished. It can be done but it's a bit of a bodge. You have to leave the PVR tuned to the channel you intend to record.

These are just minor gripes. If you are used to a VCR, this will revolutionise your TV usage - no more fumbling for tapes or searching for recordings. You can pause live TV or do your own action replays.

Even if you've used a PVR before, this should impress - with its twin tuner, straight forward user interface and 160Gb disc.

All round excellent.

Had the Humax PVR-9200T for three weeks now. Works brilliantly! I have a loft aerial and a booster which I plug into a nearby power socket.
Instructions are clear and intuitive.
All in all a very good piece of kit.